Cape Town - Seven police officers of the SAPS Public Order Police Unit are set to appear in court this week for allegedly extorting Chinese shop owners in Milnerton.
The group were arrested by the Anti-Corruption Unit on Sunday after they allegedly extorted two shop owners at China Town of R28000.
According to a source, the officers showed up in full uniform and used marked SAPS vehicles during the incident.
“These guys are all from Pops but they went to China Town in Milnerton where they extorted Chinese shop owners. Some of these guys are illegally in the country so they threaten them as police officers with arrests and then get the guys to give them money.
“At the first shop they got R18000 and at the second they got R10000.
“They were so brazen they went in full police uniform and in the SAPS vehicles. They were arrested at their base in Faure,” the source said.
Police spokesperson, Malcolm Pojie, confirmed the arrests and said: “Seven members attached to Public Order Police were arrested on Sunday 6 October in connection with the allegations meted against them that they extorted two foreign-owned shops in Milnerton. It is alleged that the members, accompanied by a suspect in civilian clothes, took an undisclosed amount of cash from the two shops, allegedly as protection money. The seven suspects aged between 24 and 43 are expected to make their court appearance in the Cape Town Magistrate’s court on Wednesday on the mentioned charges.”
Provincial police commissioner, Thembisile Patekile, condemned the involvement of SAPS members who commit extortion-related crimes and said there is no place in SAPS for such officers.
Police Minister Senzo Mchunu’s spokesperson, Kamo Mogotsi, said the officers will also face an internal disciplinary process.
“The Ministry commends the Anti-Corruption Unit and the Provincial Serious and Violent Crime Unit detectives for their swift action. The Ministry still maintains that corruption within the SAPS will not be tolerated. The actions of these officers are a betrayal of the public’s trust and a violation of the very principles the SAPS stands for, namely: integrity, honour and service. Internal disciplinary processes will be instituted against these officers and they will also appear in court,” said Mogotsi.
Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) spokesperson, Richard Mamabolo, said they were disappointed to note officers in the Western Cape are involved in extortion.
“SAPS has reiterated how rife extortion by criminals in the Western Cape and the Eastern Cape is. We have just finished our 10th provincial conference in the Western Cape where the image of SAPS was discussed and incidents like this continue to erode the public’s trust in SAPS.
“As Popcru we have always condemned officers getting involved in crime but the fact that these arrests are being made it is proof that there are good officers who are working to root out the bad elements.”
The arrests come just a week after four Cape Town cops accused of pulling off a R20 million jewellery heist in Llandudno were sent to prison as their bail hearing was postponed to later this week.
Jacobus Adriaan Groenewald, Bradley Dimitri Minnaar, Mthuthuzeli Mafanya and Bathandwa Soldati appeared at the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on aggravated robbery charges after they were busted by the Anti-Corruption Unit in the past two weeks.
The officers, who form part of the Operation Restore Unit and are stationed across Cape Town, are accused of staging a robbery at the home of a popular Nigerian rapper who has yet to be named.
Police revealed that following the robbery of the homeowner on September 14, a massive investigation led to the arrest of the four officers.